The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"The Hands"
"My times are in Thy hand, deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me." (Psalm 31:15).
The Psalmist must have rejoiced as he wrote these words, particularly because he expressed the thought during a time of trouble and hardship. He did not know, however, the trouble and hardship the hands he trusted would themselves one day face.
"They crucified Him… Then saith He to Thomas, reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands" (Matthew 27:35; John 20:27).
Our times rest in nail-pierced hands, hands once stilled by death, but now vibrantly alive in resurrection. The Lord Jesus Christ bore nails in His hands to redeem us from our sins. He retains those wounds to bear witness of His sacrifice, and to give even greater assurance to us than the Psalmist knew. Indeed, how able are hands that conquered death? Even more, how devoted are hands that willingly subjected themselves to the piercing of nails for our salvation? Yes, the hands direct our attention to the heart, which itself was pierced by a spear for our sake (John 19:34).
Our times, including this one, are in the hands, the nail-pierced hands of the Lord Jesus. We cannot physically see the wounds at present, save in the words of Scripture. The Spirit of God nevertheless bears witness to the truth, declaring to our hearts the faithfulness of God's heart regarding the "times" we have experienced, will experience, or are experiencing right now.
"But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that He will yet deliver us" (II Corinthians 1:9-10)
Wounds - as some have said, "the only imperfections in Heaven" - tell us that our faithful Lord has been there in all, working out His purposes in our lives. They tell us He will be there in days to come that promise His presence, provision, and protection. They tell He is here in this time of our lives, working all things together for the good of conforming us to His image (Romans 8:28-29). The wounds, unseen by the Psalmist, provide even greater assurance and confidence in how devoted our Lord is to our well being and best interests. "My times are in Thy hand" proclaimed the Psalmist before the cross. "My times are in Thy nailed pierced hands" proclaims the Christian after Calvary in an even greater affirmation of how much God can be trusted, and of His immeasurable faithfulness to our hearts.
"For Thou, LORD, hast made me glad through Thy work: I will triumph in the works of Thy hands."
(Psalm 92:4)
Weekly Memory Verse
"For Thou, LORD, hast made me glad through Thy work: I will triumph in the works of Thy hands."
(Psalm 92:4)
6526
No comments:
Post a Comment